Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong, 64, walked out of federal court Monday with probation after admitting she spent two decades paying homeless people to register to vote.
Armstrong, who also goes by “Anika,” took a plea deal in May for one felony count of paying another person to register to vote in a federal election. U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi sentenced her to 18 months of probation and 120 hours of community service, far below the five-year prison term she faced.
The Marina del Rey woman let homeless individuals use her own address on registration forms, which meant mail-in ballots could be sent directly to her home, according to her plea agreement. Prosecutors said she targeted Skid Row because its concentrated homeless population would readily accept $2 or $3 to sign petitions.
She worked as a petition collector for various unnamed vendors and individuals called “coordinators,” who paid her a set amount for each registered voter’s signature she collected.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon condemned the scheme in a statement on the case.
“False registrations undermine Americans’ faith in elections – even more so when payoffs are involved,” Dhillon said. “This Justice Department is committed to ensuring that all U.S. Elections are fair and free from illegal meddling – so that all Americans can accept the results with confidence.”
Armstrong’s light sentence likely came because she cooperated with prosecutors, though officials did not detail the extent of her assistance.
Her sentencing coincides with a broader federal push on election fraud. About 20 Homeland Security Investigations agents were seen interviewing homeless people in downtown Los Angeles in June, following claims that individuals had been bribed with cash to sign multiple registration forms and forge signatures.
That FBI probe into Skid Row voter fraud remains active and also focuses on alleged payments to homeless people.
Top Los Angeles federal prosecutor Bill Essayli has escalated collaborative efforts with local Homeland Security investigators to pursue voting crimes. His office is handling a flood of related cases.
A multi-state voter fraud operation is set to launch next week through Homeland Security Investigations, targeting California plus eight other states: New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Georgia, Washington, Nevada, Wisconsin and Missouri.
An internal memo described the effort as a “coordinated criminal voter fraud surge initiative to pursue investigative leads, conduct field interviews, and support timely prosecutorial review.”
FBI Director Kash Patel praised the crackdown on X.
“Securing our elections is of the upmost priority for this FBI!” Patel wrote. “If you mess with our elections we will find you!”
The HSI surge initiative is scheduled to begin field operations next week across the nine targeted states.